Charlene Schiff survived the Holocaust as a child and spoke at the first Alexandria Film Festival. Her story of courage, profound loss, resilience, and vigilance, resonated powerfully with the audience and remains with those of us who were privileged to hear it. She was named a Living Legend of Alexandria in 2009. We dedicate this program to her memory.

In “My Underground Mother,” Marisa Fox introduces us to her mother Tamar, a freedom fighter, spy, femme fatale – but never a victim. Twenty years after Tamar’s death, her words appear in a journal written by prisoners of a Nazi women’s camp, sparking her daughter’s reckoning with hidden identity, trauma, and truth. Q&A with Director Marisa Fox and Allison Silberberg, former mayor, City of Alexandria follows the screening.

Donick Cary, writer/producer for TV hits like The Simpsons and Parks and Recreation, has been a huge fan of the Washington, D.C. pro football team since before he could walk. He never questioned the old team name nor its Native American logo until one day, his 9-year-old son Otis asked him if the team name and logo were racist. To explore that question, the Carys take a cross-country trip to ask Native Americans what they think.
Q&A with Donick Cary, writer/director and Kim Huffman Cary, executive producer follows the screening.